The invention relates to drain stoppers which are manually operated for opening and closing the drain port of a plumbing fixture such as a lavatory, sink or tub. Various types of manually operated drain valve assemblies commonly referred to as "finger-lift" drain assemblies are known, for example, those disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 1,403,432; 2,572,101; 3,010,120; 3,380,081; 3,609,776; and 3,771,177. These patents illustrate and describe manually operated drain valve assemblies mounted in a plumbing fixture and are distinguished from those drain valve assemblies which are remote controlled, that is, through manipulation of levers which utilize linkages to control the raising and lowering of the stopper.